What are your favorite galaxy settings and why?

[Databug]

This thread is based entirely out of curiosity. I want to hear about different opinions and playstyles.

When you start a new game, what do you want your galaxy to look like? Mainly I'm curious about things that affect galactic geography like shape, size, hyperlane density, and how common wormholes and gateways are. That being said, I consider anything you can adjust when you start a new game to be fair game for this thread.

 

[Bezborg]

Large, lowest habitable planets (I want it to be rare), lowest hyperlane density (I want the universe to feel big and expansion slow), no wormholes (I dislike empires branching off across the galaxy, I like things to be more “local” in the first century), max gates (I enjoy the concept of an ancient webway, also it makes things more interesting later).

Also, I wish I could have a large galaxy size but a much lower number of systems. I find 80% of systems to be just useless clutter, with a few minerals or energy. The universe would feel bigger and more realistic (to me personally) if everything was a bit more rare and scarce, but more substantial and relevant.

I always wanted (pre defined on the map) system clusters, connected with hyperlanes between clusters, but free movement/warp on a local cluster level.

 

[TimeMask]

I think both setting hyperlanes low and high both works really nicely. Lowering habitable planets and having higher amount of primitives is also fun. In general I've done lot of really wacky testing with settings, I am curious though how many players experiment with galaxy settings

 

[Cat_Fuzz]

• Always 1000 galaxy (Vary type depending on mood)
• The setting below max hyperlanes
• 3.5x Wormholes
• 0.75x Gateways
• Empires around 23/24 on random number (I find this is the optimal amount where some games are really exploration focussed, some are a little packed, but with room to breath without immediately getting boxed in)
• Advanced AI’s set to random and around 20% of max no. of empires.
• Slower research
• Primitives at around 2.5x
• Fallen Empires 1-3, Marauders 1-3
• Pop scaling somewhere between default and ‘off’.

 

[ZomgK3tchup]

Xeno-compatibility off every single game.

 

[HFY]

Medium (600 stars) elliptical
18 AIs, no advanced AIs
2 marauders, 3 FEs
Caraveneers on, xenocompat off
5x crisis

At moderately high difficulty (captain or admiral) the AIs can do well at this size, even if it is a bit cramped.

There is a frantic rush to expand, and then meet the neighbors quickly.

AIs are packed close enough that I can leverage civics like Barbaric Despoliers early.

 

[Peace Weaver]

Every time I restart the game due to performance slow-down the next galaxy gets smaller. I'm currently on small and losing hope that there is actually balance to be found between the game being able to run and still having the diversity of content for it to be interesting.

 

[TimeMask]

I actually never turn xenocompatibility off just because only xenophile ai empires pick it and even then it doesn't always pop up, so it hasn't been as horrifying for performance as back in the olden days when combined with my other settings. I kinda want to keep it on until it finally goes out of control again

 

[klingonadmiral]

1000 stars
4-arm spiral
19 AI empires
1-3 advances starts
5 fallen empires
3 marauders
1x tradition/tech cost
1x habitable world
2x primitive civilizations
5x crisis strength
random crisis type (aka Unbidden)
2275 midgame start (pls buff the Khan)
2375 endgame start (pls buff fallen empires)
2425 victory year
Admiral difficulty
non-scaling
high AI aggressiveness
random empire placement
advanced neighbours off
1x hyperlane density
1x abandoned gateways
1.5x wormholes
2 guaranteed habitables (can we get a third please?)
Caravaneers OFF
L-Gates ON
Xeno-Compatibility OFF
1.15x Logistics Growth Ceiling
0x Growth Required Scaling

 

[Erixperience]

Medium
1 advanced AI
9 AI
3 Fallen
1 Marauder
0.25x habitable worlds (most of the time I still end up with at least 30, which is nuts)
Admiral-Scaling
1.25 Hyperlanes
1.75 Gateways
2 Habitables
0 Crimes against genetics

Also play with the pop sliders at one or two ticks above minimum each.

 

[evilcat]

I actually have fun with standard galaxy 600. There is less empires, but also space travel is easier. Maybe will try with more wormholes/gates in the future.
4 arms gives good radial and circular crossing.
Advanced AI off to avoid mass vassals
1 Maruder empire is ok.
Xenocopatability - my poor toaster cant handle it. It is shame there is no light version of this ascension
I add 2 or 3 extra empires to spice things up
At least 2 FE
GA scaling, i am here to relax.
M75Y L100Y, this is good since my gates are quicker. And around 100y i already kill FE. Crisis showing up 125y is ok. 5x crisis is enought for me
Tech 0,75 fast and furious

 

[Meneye]

Large galaxy, 4 armed spiral
19 other empires, so everyone has enough space to expand but is close enough to each other
3 Advanced AI so I can compete against them in the galactic community
1 guaranteed habitable planet
2 fallen empires for a chance of a war in heaven without making the galaxy feel cramped
1 marauder empire because they're only interesting if they spawn the Khan, even more so now that we have mercenaries

Everything else is around the default settings, except for xeno-compatibility which is turned off because of species spam (that ironically makes the different alien species in your empire feel less unique and more meaningless.)

 

[A2ch0n]

1000 Stars
Spiral or Elliptical
21-24 AI empires (with players 25 is the goal)
No advanced AI
5 Fallen Empires
Tech/Trad Cost 1.25x
Habitable Worlds 1x
Primitives 1.5x
Crisis Strength 5x
Crisis Type Random
Midgame start 2275
Endgame start 2400
Victory disabled
Grand Admiral difficulty
Scaling difficulty on
AI Aggressiveness high
Hyperlane Density 1x
Gateways 1x
Wormholes 0.5x
Guaranteed habitable worlds 2x
Growth Ceiling&Scaling unchanged
3 Marauders
L-Gates on
Caravaneers on
Xeno-Comp on

I like a big and dense galaxy with many empires in it. Space should feel alive. I change the galaxy form sometimes for variety. No Advanced AI's for equal chances for every empire. I don't like wormholes that much, that's why i reduce the amount. Hyperlanes and and Planets are standard. Tech is slightly slowed down to prevent repeatables to show up too early (i hate repeatables, a setting for deactivation would be nice). Everything else is default i guess.

 

[Zagreb 887]

800 stars
Low hyperlane
Low habitable
Xeno compatibility off
Max FE (because ACOT mod)
AI empires are all humans custom empires save for a devouring swarm and a DE.
I've never been a fan of the Star Wars thing with aliens being just humans with funny faces, so I like to play my games in a "Foundation like" trope. Humans are the only intelligent species in the galaxy at this time.
They colonize the whole galaxy before some galactic catastrophe that send them back to the stone age before they emerge again at the beginning of the game.

 

[FinellyTrained]

Xeno-compatibility off every single game.

I would consider bying a DLC, which would flip it to default off.

 

[ArmChairAttila]

1. Medium galaxy; I don't like my maps too large.
2. Three Fallen Empires; Increases the chance for a War in Heaven, I think.
3. Aggressive AI flagged to yes; The AI can be a bit more dangerous/ruthless on harder difficulties.
4. Max Hyperlanes; This changes the game quite a bit, definitely more challenging and ads more strategic depth/competence dealing with the AI.
5. 2250 mid game; The Great Khan is actually a threat.
6. 2300 end game; War in Heaven/Crissis is actually a threat.
4. Admiral difficulty; With all the above setting the game adds a decent challenge where I can actually win/lose some games.

 

[klopkr]

1. Biggest spiral galaxy (like it or not it's always the milky way when sol spawns)
2. Max ai
3. All space stuff
4. Agressive and strong AI
5. Max primitives
6. Low wormholes and gates

My game sare always slow as a snail, and usually absolute trash FPS from menus and ships in the late game. I wouldn't play it any other way though because it's the only way to have an interesting galaxy where things happen on the other side of the galaxy to my liking. I'm so desperate for Stellaris 2 with double the size and AI's.

Max hyperlanes is a very different and very cool game. I only do it on occasion but it's a must for certain mods like the star trek one.